Vail + Beaver Creek Hotels

The ski-in, ski-out Arrabelle hotel is the keystone of chic Vail Square. Opened in the Lionshead area, this tiny "village" is modeled on quaint Mitteleuropa towns like Innsbruck or Prague. Many of the 62 guest rooms and suites have fireplaces and mountain views, along with the expected high-tech luxuries: free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and Bose MP3 players. The Arrabelle is joined by shops, restaurants, and 25 one- to five-bedroom residences (which can also be rented)—all surrounding a plaza that is transformed into an ice rink in winter. It's undeniably charming (deposed royalty would feel right at home, given the plush details: 1,000-thread-count sheets, heated marble floors in the baths), and for skiers it's fabulously convenient. The Arrabelle's Tavern on the Square, once part of the Centre V restaurant, has a slope-side terrace that abuts the Eagle Bahn Gondola (where you'll also find the Arrabelle's ski valet ready to take charge of your skis and boots after your last run, so you can head directly to the hotel's spa). Just try not to swoon after tasting Tavern on the Square's fried-to-order maple-bacon doughnuts with apple butter. Bringing the kids? Check out the Arrabelle's Ski Nanny service.—Updated by Sarah Tuff

For the length of time it would take for a newborn baby to become a full-fledged skier bombing through Colorado powder (say, five years), the Four Seasons was under construction in Vail Village. After various delays, this final piece of Vail's massive renewal project opened in December 2010. Turns out it was worth the wait: The hotel's decor—a balance of warm hickory and cool limestone—is perfectly suited to the Alpine location; even the humblest of the 121 rooms is a healthy 575 square feet; and any of the 16 two- to four-bedroom private residences for rent would suit the snootiest of schussers. Guests should wear nice socks for check-in, since the ski concierge will be there to measure feet for boots and get your skis and boards waxed and ready to go up the adjacent Vista Bahn lift. You can also expect hot chocolate and muffins, as well as heated robes at the 75-foot pool, at the end of each ski day. Meals at the in-house restaurant, Flame (think tea-smoked venison, bison rib eye, and bananas Foster), could fuel a Winter Olympian. But succumbing to the Four Seasons' sumptuous service could derail the training plans of even the most dedicated athletes.—Sarah Tuff

Every ski town has a property for those who relish their privacyand will drop mad money to ensure it. The Game Creek Chalet is Vail's clear contender. This private villa crowns the top of Game Creek Bowl on Vail's Front Side, and has three bedrooms with private baths. Many properties claim to be ski-in, ski-out, but this is genuine slide-to-your-front-door access. The service is discreet and top-flight, and includes a ski concierge who warms ski boots at night, a private half-day instructor, and a personal chef to prepare a nightly menu of your choosing. At $2,800 a night for the entire property and space for eight guests—privacy is ensured, if not cheap.

Because it sits nearly in the lee of the Vista Bahn, Vail Village's main (and overly crowded) lift, the Lodge is the go-to property for skiers and snowboarders obsessed with leaving the day's first tracks. With a choice of 150 rooms that range from comfortable studios to bring-on-the-party three-bedroom town houses, the lodge has a dual clientele of powderholics and luxury hounds. Like many RockResorts properties, the design is more boutique than chain: The interior is accented in warm pine and festooned with the expected alpine-inspired decorations. Amenities for aching bodies (nothing like the first day back on the slopes to discover muscles you forgot you had) include a heated outdoor pool flanked by hot tubs, a fitness center, requisite sauna, and a full spa, completed in 2008. Rounding out the property are two of the Village's better restaurants, Elway's and Cucina Rustica. Note, though: Due to Vail Village's ongoing construction, you'll want to request a room with a pool or mountain view. (Village views will likely be of cranes and hardhats.)

The Osprey at Beaver Creek isn't just near the slopes: A mere 20 feet from the Strawberry Park Express high-speed quad, it's the closest ski-in/ski-out hotel to a chairlift in North America. From the outside, this RockResort hotelopened in December 2008 after a $7 million redo of the now-defunct Inn at Beaver Creeklooks like a standard ski lodge. And while plenty of birch and local stone was used for the interiors, the clean, modern design is delightfully free of rustic mountain kitsch. About half of the 45 guestrooms have fireplaces, and all have free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs; the best is the two-bedroom penthouse, which includes a living room, full kitchen, and balcony. The lounge serves a tapas-style menu that's ideal for après-ski refueling (grilled brie sandwiches, lobster nachos), and if the heated outdoor poolwith a nearby fire pithot tub, steam room, and sauna can't sooth your slope-sore muscles, try concocting your own cure-all at one of the complimentary mixology classes (held weekly in high season).

This hotel, located in the middle of Beaver Creek Village, began life as a Hyatt Regency in 1989. While some of the 190 guest rooms are still more "Regency" than "Park" in terms of design, seven suites and 14 king executive king guestrooms got a plush, modern makeover in late 2008. The mountain and its main Centennial Express Lift are out the back door, while an ice rink, shops, and restaurants are out the front. In truth, some of the area's best eats are farther afield, but the hotel makes up for that with the 8100 Mountainside Bar and Grill, where the seasonal menu features fresh produce from Colorado farms. The 30,000-square-foot, two-story Allegria Spa, which received a $26 million upgrade in 2007, emphasizes hot water therapies, and includes a Roman-styled bath house. The gym also has a ton of cutting-edge equipment. Some floors have coin-operated washers and dryers for guests' usea nice touch when you have mounds of wet ski clothes.

For those who prefer the exclusivity of Beaver Creek to the crowds at Vail, the ski-in, ski-out Ritz-Carlton is the best place to stay. Tucked into the gated community of Bachelor Gulch, it's a timber-and-stone pile with 180 rooms, all with balconies and/or fireplaces, flat-screen TV's, Wi-Fi (for a fee), Frette linens, and feather beds so thick you practically need a stepladder. Mountainside Suites have up to three bedrooms. Book a room on the Club Level, which serves seemingly nonstop complimentary food and drinks in the lounge, including smoked salmon at breakfast and Champagne at cocktail hour (guests claim they gain weight when they stay here). For skiers, a stay here is seamless and worry-free: The Bachelor Gulch high-speed quad lift practically lands in the lobby, and there's also a ski shop, an in-house lift ticket outlet, and a ski concierge to take care of your gear. At the end of the day, before cocktails around the towering fireplace in the Great Room (reminiscent of a National Park lodge) and dinner at Spago, head down to the resort's crowning glory: The 21,000-square-foot spa and fitness center. It has a rock-lined stone "grotto," separate men's and women's steam, sauna, and Jacuzzi areas, a heated outdoor pool, and hot tubs with views of the slopes.

When the Vail Plaza Hotel & Club reopened as the Sebastian in January 2011, the hotel's best feature remained the same: its location at the gateway to Vail Village. Not much else has changed, either. There are still 107 plush but neat-as-a-pin rooms (including seven suites) and 36 private residences. And you can still avoid schlepping a single piece of gear, thanks to valets for, well, everything. The subtle transformation did add more treatment rooms and services at the renamed Bloom Spa; more options for caffeine and carbs at the new Market café; and, supposedly, the largest Scotch collection in the Colorado Rockies at the new Frost bar. At the in-house fine-dining restaurant, Block 16, chef Sergio Howland (who hails from sister property Esperanza in Los Cabos, among other resorts) marries Maine lobster with braised veal cheeks; for dessert, he studs brownies with pine nuts. Given the soaring entryway and 8,000-foot conference center, it's hard to think of this place as "boutique," though, as the new management does.—Sarah Tuff

Consider the Solaris Vail Village's de facto town square. With an outdoor ice-skating rink at its core, the Shops at Solaris lures passersby with upscale boutiques like Luca Bruno and Tommy Bowers Ski, hot-list restaurants (the Vail outpost of Matsuhisa opened inside Solaris in 2011), and entertainment venues including bowling and a cinema. Rising eight stories above it all, Solaris offers 79 roomy residences ranging from two to four bedrooms. Average size of a three-bedroom? An impressive 2,350 square feet. The residences are swanky, with custom cherrywood accents throughout, limestone in the bathroom, Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances in the gourmet kitchens, and Colorado sandstone to lend a warm ambience. The high-tech touches include Crestron computer touch-screen systems that control lighting, climate, and the entertainment system; you can also communicate with the front desk and concierge. (Need the car brought around? Ready to hit the slopes? Just press a button.) Solaris is located about a five-minute walk from the Vista Bahn chair; a shuttle runs on demand, and a ski valet at the base stores all equipment.—Samantha Berman

The Faessler family, who own the Sonnenalp, got their start in the hospitality industry in Bavaria, and this luxury hotel honors the aesthetic with a white-gabled facade and hand-carved pine furniture from Germany. The location is central in the village (and a five-minute walk to the Vista Bahn lift), and the heated indoor/outdoor pool fronts Gore Creek, which rambles by the resort. Most of the 137 rooms—from studios to two-bedroom suites—have a gas fireplace and a spacious bathroom with heated marble floors. Ludwig's, the in-house restaurant, serves Colorado-inspired fare with a Bavarian accent: One classic interpretation is the pistachio-crusted lamb chop with shank strudel in star-anise–blackberry sauce.

It would be hard not to feel welcome at this family-run lodge: The friendly owners, Bob and Diane Lazier, live on-property, and they and their extended family are always on hand. Originally opened in the late 1960's, the Tivoli was totally rebuilt from the ground up and reopened in summer 2006. With "European-style" architecture (vaguely Alpine, with lots of big leather sofas and chairs, and fireplaces everywhere) and only 62 rooms, the Tivoli is comfy and homey. Most rooms have fireplaces, and the mountainside views are Hollywood-backdrop perfect. Besides flat-screen TV's, free Wi-Fi, big tubs, and multi-nozzle showers, their best feature is the compact kitchenette area, with granite counter and chairs, and mini-fridge. It's about a four-minute walk to Vail's Vista Bahn and Riva Bahn chairlifts. And though there's no restaurant, all of Vail's best (and worst) dining is within a five-minute walk. Tivoli also serves a complimentary, hearty buffet breakfast each morning.

At certain ski resorts, "stars" and "wildlife" might refer to the celebrities and crazy parties that descend each winter. But at Trappers Cabin, which was renovated in 2008, you'll get the real deal: This three-bedroom cabin at the top of Beaver Creek's Bachelor Gulch lift is rented out in its entirety, so it's just you, the muffled noises of a pine forest under fresh snow, and up to nine of your favorite people. Plus personal chef Michael Wilganowski, who'll arrive by snowmobile to pour you a glass of cabernet as you wait for duck and foie gras ravioli by the fireplace. After dinner, the chief forms of entertainment are pointing out LED-bright constellations from the hot tub and contemplating your first ski run of the next day. Since you don't have to wait for a lift at the base area, you're guaranteed first tracks—provided all that indulgence doesn't have you sleeping late.—Sarah Tuff

If you don't care for the white stuff, the cold, or silly-looking outerwearbut your group or partner doesa property like the 292-room Vail Cascade can save your vacation. With a first-run movie theater; indoor tennis, squash, racquetball, and basketball courts; two pools; and what is arguably Vail's best spa, salvation is not only on hand, it's on-property. The spa, Aria, has several signature treatments, including the Mountain Lomi Lomi massage and Alpine Glow body wrap. The ski-happy portion of the group can grab a pass at the on-site ticket office and ski out the back door to Cascade's own triple chair. As for the property itself, expect functionality and comfort, if not loads of charm.

This two-year-old Silver LEEDcertified resort has extensive stonework and glass, allowing "majestic views of the Rockies," which can also be seen from "the incredible infinity hot tubs off the pool deck." The Riverfront Express gondola, "steps from the lobby," transports guests to the base of Beaver Creek Mountain. Restaurant Avondale, kitted out in stone, wood, granite, and glass, promotes a West Coastinspired seasonal menu, hence dishes like Summit Creek lamb chops. Spa Anjali's robes and towels are made from organic bamboo and muslin.